The Price of a Secret
by Serenity Dragonrider
Summary: Aurora accedently reveils the fact that she has magic to the vikings of Berk. She runs away out of fear of being turned into a weapon, and it leads to dire consequences.
1. Chapter 1

_**The Price of a Secret**_

Early in the summer on the Archipelago the sun shone down on both the Isle of Berk and Dragon Island. The two islands had a very healthy alliance. Dragon Island had recently experienced a violent volcano eruption. The land was twice as big as it was when the Red Death owned it. The trees and plants had all grown back, thanks to Queen Aurora's magic.

Re and Aurora woke up before everyone else. They slept in the large throne with their two young hatchlings, Apollo and Avalon. Re, the king of the dragons, was a handsome emerald green with kelly green under scales and ocean blue eyes. He wore gold armor with the Draconian crest (a green dragon holding a gold apple and a gold music note in its claws, surounded by a blue circle) on his head plate/crown. Queen Aurora was sapphire blue with tropical blue under scales and silver eyes. She wore silver armor with a snowflake on her crown. Prince Apollo was blood red with gold horns, spines, eyes, and talons. He wore dark red armor with a gold crest on his crown of a dolphin leaping over a lyre surrounded by a wreath. Princess Avalon was teal green with violet horns and spines, and lavender eyes. She wore purple armor with a green maple leaf on her crown. The dragon armor had been updated so it was harder to cut of, 100% fireproof, and 100% heatproof. The plates overlapped and the leather straps that held them together were reinforced with chainmail.

The for dragons got up and stretched their limbs and wings.

"Can we go play in the tide pools?" Avalon asked.

"Okay, but be sure to come in when the tide comes in," Aurora said.

"We will," said Apollo. He and his sister left the throne room and headed for the opposite site of the island where the tide pools were. Re and Aurora spread their wings and headed for Berk where Serenity and her family were. A Sliquifier had come to her the day before in desperate need of Serenity's help, so they all spent the night at her hospital. The two dragons landed in the plaza. They made their way up to the Dragon Hospital. They found the Sliquifier asleep on the Dragonnip while Serenity changed her bandage. The dragon was a lighter teal color than Princess Avalon, with sapphire blue fins and tail flukes.

"Good morning," Serenity said as she finished up.

"She's very pretty," Aurora said. Serenity gently stroked the sea dragon's neck.

"Her name is Atlantica," she said. "She had been attacked by a shark." She pointed to the dragon's left hind leg, which was all bandaged up.

"Is Chris still sleeping?" Aurora asked.

"Edelweiss too," Serenity said. "But that's okay, I got up early this morning 'cause Atlantica's leg was bothering her." She sat in her chair.

"When do you think she'll be healed?" Re asked as he and Aurora sat beside her.

"Um, well I think she'll be better by the end of this week," Serenity said. "Dragons can take very good care of themselves, that's probably why I don't get very many patients very often." Re lit her camp fire.

"So, you're staying here another night?" he asked.

"I will stay here for as long as it takes," Serenity said strongly. Then she yawned.

"Maybe you should go back to sleep, you look like you didn't get enough sleep," Aurora said.

"No, I'm okay," Serenity said. But her eyes were drooping.

"You're going to make yourself sick if you keep putting of sleep," Aurora said. Serenity sighed.

"Very well," she said. She checked to make sure Atlantica was sleeping pain free. Then she went back into the house. Chris was so dead to the world that he didn't even stir when Serenity crawled into bed next to him. She kissed his cheek, before falling asleep.

Outside Re and Aurora were making their way down to the plaza for take off. They didn't want to take off at the hospital incase it woke up Atlantica.

"Well what do you want to do now?" Re asked.

"I would like to go fishing," Aurora said. "Maybe we can catch a giant squid."

"Or a marlin," Re said. They were just about to take off when Hiccup and Toothless came out of their house.

"Hello," Hiccup said.

"Good morning," Re said.

"What brings you two here?" Hiccup asked.

"Checking up on Chris and Serenity," Aurora said. "A Sliquifier got attacked by a shark last night, she came to Serenity for help."

"Did you say a Sliquifier?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes, a very young one," said Re.

"Wow, she must be really good by now to have a dragon like a Sliquifier ask for her help," Hiccup said. "They're supposed to be really hard to catch one."

"You've seen one?" Re asked.

"No, just read about them," Hiccup said. "I wonder what other unknown species Serenity's cured."

"As far as you're concerned, probably a majority of her patients were dragons you've never heard of," Aurora said.

"Wow," Hiccup said.

"Now if you'll excuse us, we're going fishing," Re said.

"Sure," Hiccup said. Re and Aurora walked past him to a clear spot on the plaza. Re spread his wings and lifted off the ground. Aurora was about to follow him when Hiccup spoke up again.

"Hey Aurora," he said. Aurora paused with her wings extended.

"Yes?" she said, looking over her wing.

"If Changewings, Bewilderbeasts, and the Red Death have special powers, how come you don't?" Hiccup asked. "I thought all alphas and queens had that."

"Toothless doesn't," Aurora pointed out. "Nor dose Windwalker. Not every leader has the gift of magic."

"But Draco has magic," Hiccup said. "And he's your dad and all." Aurora scrunched up her face like she was in pain. At that moment the other riders came out of their houses.

"Hey Aurora," said Fishlegs. "You look stressed." And she was very stressed. All her life Lord Draco told her to never reveal the fact that she had magic to the humans. And she swore she would never tell her secret. Neither of them wanted her magic to be used as a weapon. Aurora had fought in the Battle of the Bewilderbeast and seen what kind of destruction a human could do with a dragon's magic. It scared her to death to think that it could be her possessing an innocent dragon to kill a friend. She only really used her magic when there were no humans in sight, except for Chris and Serenity.

"I get the feeling she's hiding something," said Hiccup. They all looked at her. She closed her eyes wishing they would just drop it.

"What are you hiding Aurora?" asked Snotlout, suspicious. Aurora hissed. She figured she could just fly away, but the riders would just catch up to her and continue to nag her.

"I'm not hiding anything," she said. She folded her wings.

"Then how come you pulled that face when I asked you about Draco and magic?" asked Hiccup.

"Magic?" said Astrid, surprised. "You have magic?"

"No I don't," said Aurora.

"Why not?" asked Fishlegs. "A dragon with your bloodline should have magic. You could save a lot of lives."

"And you could eliminate all the evildoers in the world," Snotlout said.

"Father doesn't want my magic to be used as a weapon," Aurora blurted out before she could stop herself. They all looked shocked.

"So you do have magic," said Astrid. Aurora suddenly realized what she just said.

"Oh no," she moaned, her secret was out. "Father will be so furious." She immediately spread her wings and flew off as fast as she could, using her magic in front of all the riders to turn herself invisible.

"Wow, she has magic," said Fishlegs.

"I wonder where Re went?" Hiccup asked. "I think he could elaborate. Let's go find him." They mounted their dragons and headed out to find the Dragon King.

The whole time Re had been flying to a nearby island where there was a large heard of boars, perfect for hunting. But he was oblivious to the fact that Aurora wasn't following him, until he tried to talk to her.

"How many boars should we hunt?" he asked. "Just enough the two of us, or some for all our family?" He expected Aurora to come up with the idea to combine both Re's ideas, but she didn't say anything. Re looked over his wing to see why she hadn't said anything, she was no where to be seen.

"Aurora?" he called. "Where are you?" Suddenly his animal instincts blared, telling him something was wrong. He turned around and flew back the way he came as fast as he could. He kept calling for his mate and receiving no answer. He got more and more worried. Soon he saw the Riders of Berk up ahead and flew up to them and pulled alongside.

"Have you guys seen Aurora?" he asked.

"She took off," said Hiccup. "She seemed really upset after she told us she has magic." Re looked surprised.

"She told you she has magic?" he asked.

"I don't think she meant to," Astrid said. "She just sort of blurted it out. After that she looked like she wished she hadn't said anything, then she growled something and took off. She turned invisible."

"Oh no," Re said.

"Why?" asked Hiccup. "What's going to happen to her?"

"That's exactly what she's afraid of," Re said. "She doesn't know what you're going to do with her magic. She doesn't want her magic to be used as a weapon, like Drago Bludvist did with the Bewilderbeast."

"We won't use her magic as a weapon," Hiccup said.

"You say that now," Re said. "But what about in the most dire of circumstances, when you think you'er out of options." Hiccup said nothing.

"Is that why she ran?" asked Astrid.

"Yes," Re said. He looked really worried.

"Are you going to kill us because we know too much?" asked Ruffnut.

"I'll worry about all this when Aurora is found and safe," Re said. He turned around and headed for Dragon Island where Tenor and Windwalker were waiting.

Miles away Aurora flew over the ocean, heading southeast, she had lifted her cloaking spell. She felt so ashamed for all her actions. Her magic was supposed to remain a secret from the humans, that was her father's number one rule. She wondered what Draco was going to do to her. She looked up at the Dragon Heaven, which was the constellation Draco. She begged for his forgiveness.

"What ever you do to me father, I will accept," she said, knowing Draco could hear her. "I deserve the worst." She unfortunately she didn't spot the Chinese junk underneath her in the dying light. She didn't see the large Dragon's Teeth bola sailing through the air, towards her. A Dragon's Teeth was a metal bola with huge, metal barbs all over it. So it was quite painful when it wrapped itself around the queen.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Back at Dragon Island Re had just filled the rest of his family in on what had happen with Aurora. They were all very worried about their queen.

"What kind of queen just runs away from her problems?" asked Windwalker.

"Just because she's a queen doesn't mean she's perfect," Re said.

"Will she come back?" Tenor asked.

"Of course she will," Re said, then his face fell. "At least I hope she will; if what the riders said is true and she's turned invisible, than we have no chance of finding her."

"Well what do we do now?" Chris asked. Re sighed.

"We'll have to just, carry on," he said. "Serenity how's Atlantica?"

"I'm pretty sure she can go home tomorrow," Serenity said. "I should probably take her stitches out."

"Go check on her," Re said. "Aurora will contact us if she needs help."

"Yes sir," Serenity said.

She and Chris flew their dragons back to Berk where Serenity checked on Atlantic. She was a lot happier now that she was no longer in pain. Serenity took her stitches out while Atlantica played with Edelweiss. She had already started learning Dragontongue. When the stitches were removed Atlantica sat up.

"Sorry about the queen," she said.

"I hope she's okay out there," Chris said.

"Why did she run away?" Atlantica asked.

"The Berkians found out she has magic," Serenity said. "And she's afraid they'll use her magic as a weapon."

"What makes her think that will happen?" asked Atlantica.

"She's seen it happen before," Tenor said. "An evil man used a dragon's magic to take over the world, and that scares her to death."

"What exactly happened in that battle?" Windwalker asked. "It must have been really bad to scare her."

"It's a bit of a long story," Tenor said. "So make yourselves comfortable."

He told them all what happened in the Battle of the Bewilderbeast, the events that led up to it and the events that followed. Serenity had heard this story before. Tenor told them how the battle was started and how it ended. He explained how Toothless became an alpha, in more detail. When he was finished they all thought it over for a minuet.

"Well that would explain why Aurora's so afraid to tell the humans about her magic," said Windwalker.

"It's not just her fear," Tenor said. "It's Lord Draco's too."

"Where were you that whole time?" Chris asked Serenity.

"I had malaria," Serenity said. "I wasn't able to go."

"Ooh, I've heard of malaria," Windwalker said. "It's not supposed to be curable."

"Well that just shows what a genius Vitamin is," Serenity said. "But I don't think he would have that cure if Aurora hadn't given him the formula."

"So she's done a lot of good deeds with her magic," Atlantica said.

"And that's all she wants to do," Tenor said. "She wants her magic to be used for prosperous reasons."

"I wonder how Re's doing over there, by himself," Windwalker asked.

"He's not by himself," Serenity said. "He has the children to keep him company."

"Still we should all be there for him," Chris said.

"My wings are still functional," said Atlantica. "I can go spend the night there."

"Good idea," said Serenity. She packed up her stuff and put it on the back of her saddle. She then put Edelweiss into her special seat. She and Chris then mounted their dragons and headed back to Dragon Island, followed by Atlantica.

When they got there the found Re sitting by himself of the ledge throne. The hatchlings had gone to the tide pools. Re looked so sad. His head was hidden under his wing, his body curled up in a ball. He clutched his crown in his talons.

"Hello your majesty," said Atlantica softly. "Are you doing ok?" Re peeked out from under his wing to see who had spoken.

"Yeah, I'm hanging in there," he said, coming all the way out. "How's your shark bite?"

"All healed up," said Atlantica. "I will spend the night on this island, then be on my way."

"Very well," said Re. He sat up. Serenity dismounted and removed Edelweiss from her seat and set her down. She walked over to Re.

"Gampa," she said. She reached out her small hand and touched Re's shoulder. He looked down at her and lowered his head to her level. She moved her hand from his shoulder to his face. He purred and licked her face. She giggled, then hugged his snout. Re gently pried his snout free and wrapped his tail around his granddaughter and lifted her onto his back. Serenity and Chris sat in their chairs. Serenity began pulling her hair into a braid (or a dragon tail in her terms). Edelweiss slid down Re's outstretched wing. She squealed in delight as she slid to the ground. She then ran to Windwalker and climbed onto her back.

"Serenity, did you bring Wings of Fire?" Tenor asked.

"Yes," Serenity said. "I have both The Brightest Night and Moon Rising." She reached into a pouch and pulled out the two books. She opened The Brightest Night and began reading.

At the far end of the island the four young dragons were splashing around in a series of large tide pools. They were big enough that the young dragons could learn to swim and practice fishing. They occasionally snacked on crabs and starfish. At the moment Apollo was wading through one of the shallower pools, with his face in the water, looking for wildlife. Avalon, Black Widow, and Eider watch him.

"We should bring Edelweiss down here sometime," said Black Widow. "She'd love it."

"Humans mature slower than we do," Eider said. "She's not old enough for the tide pools."

"Oh," said Black Widow, sadly.

"Yeah," Avalon agreed. "But Mama says that..." She stopped and hung her head. Black Widow and Eider exchanged a glance. Apollo lifted his head from the water when he heard his sister stop talking.

"You okay?" he asked

"Yeah," said Avalon. "I just miss Mama."

"I do too," Apollo said. "I keep expecting her to come around the corner and tell us it's time to go home." Avalon nodded in agreement. Apollo went back to looking for wildlife. Suddenly an eel swam out of its little hole and went right in front of his face. Apollo panicked.

"Ahhhh an eel!" he screamed. "GET IT AWAY! GET IT AWAY!" He scrambled backwards and fell over into another pool, in a rather awkward position. The other three laughed. Apollo scowled at them.

"Oh go ahead laugh," he snapped. He got to his feet and shook the water of his red scales. He then went into a playful crouch, wagging his tail, his eyes on Eider. When he wasn't looking Apollo jumped on him and knocked him into the other pool. They rolled around, splashing water everywhere. The two females laughed. Apollo and Eider chased each other, occasionally splashing water at Black Widow and Avalon. The two females finally joined them and they had a big game of tag through the tide pools. When they got tired of that, they played Hide N' Hunt; a dragon's version of Hide and Seek.

They played for hours. They had a great time. Suddenly a shadow passed over them. They looked up to see Windwalker circling the tide pools.

"I was hoping it would Mama," said Avalon. Black Widow gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Maybe she'll be back tomorrow," she said.

"Yeah," Avalon said, she didn't sound hopeful. Windwalker let out a loud call.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," Black Widow said. She spread her wings and flew up to meet her mother. They left the tide pools. The three remaining dragons waited for their parents to come get them. Ruby and Harmony flew over the tide pools, they called for Eider. He said his good bye and followed them, they headed for their cave. Avalon and Apollo looked at each other.

"Maybe Mama will come get us," said Apollo.

"I don't think so," said Avalon. At that moment Re landed in front of them.

"Time to come in," he said.

"Did Mama come back?" Apollo asked. Re shook his head sadly. He spread his wings and took off again. Apollo and Avalon followed him back to the throne room. When they got there Re laid down on the ledge and both his hatchlings snuggled next to him under his wing. He nuzzled them and cover them with his wing. He looked towards the open doors where he could see the stars and ocean. He woke up this morning with his mate right next to him. Now he was going to sleep without her.

"Please be safe Aurora," he prayed out loud. "And please come back to us, we really miss you." He then laid his head down and fell asleep.

It was a very tough night for the three of them. Apollo and Avalon kept waking up thinking that their mother was home, but rushing out of bed only to find that she wasn't. They would then cry themselves to sleep, wanting their mother so bad. Re was having a hard time as well. He really missed Aurora and was worried sick about her. He kept waking up wondering where she was and if she was okay. But he had to be strong for Apollo and Avalon.

Finally at around dawn the three of them were able to get some sleep. When the sun came up Tenor, Windwalker, Black Widow, and their riders came into the throne room. They saw the three dragons sleeping quietly. Tenor lowered his head to his niece and youngest nephew and nuzzled them. Avalon opened her eyes to bright sunlight. She saw a dragon silhouetted against the light.

"Mama?" she said. Apollo then woke up.

"Mama!" he cried. They both jumped to their feet and nuzzled the dragon they thought was their mother. But went they were fully awake, they saw that it was only Tenor. When they realized this they crawled back to their spot, sadder than ever.

"Ah, though night huh?" Tenor said. Re lifted his head.

"It feels so weird not having her there," he said. He stretched his wing out and placed it on the spot where Aurora was supposed to be.

"We miss her too you know," Tenor said. Chris and Serenity sat in their chairs, and Black Widow sat next to her cousins.

"Do you think she's still alive?" Tenor asked. "This is the first time she's been without backup."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," said Windwalker. "She has magic."

"True," said Re. "Hey, Serenity will you keep reading, it helps."

"Yes sir," Serenity said. She pulled out The Brightest Night and continued reading.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Weeks went by without any sign of Aurora returning. Everyone was missing her, including the dragons of Berk. They didn't know where she was and were starting to wonder if they would ever see her again. Word had already spread to Draconia that their queen was missing and the whole country shut down. They were all praying to Lord Draco for their queen's safe return. Re and his children kept having though nights. Serenity had her medical equipment ready incase Aurora came back, injured. No one even cared that her secret was out, they just wanted her home. Even Lord Draco felt the same way.

Then about three weeks after Aurora's disappearance, Hiccup and Toothless came out of their house followed by Astrid. They looked out over the sunny horizon, they spotted a strange ship sailing past the island. It wasn't heading for their harbor, but heading in the direction of Dragon Island. The ship had three large sails that were in the shape of fish fins, and blood red.

"That's the strangest ship I've ever seen," said Astrid. "What do you think it wants."

"Well whatever it wants, it doesn't want it from us," Hiccup said.

"Do think it has to do with Aurora?" asked Astrid.

"Maybe," Hiccup said. They watched the ship sail over the horizon.

On Dragon Island Re and his two hatchlings woke up after yet another troubled night. Apollo and Avalon went to the tide pools every day to hang out with Black Widow and Eider. Everyday when it was time to return home they expected their mother to come get them and take them home, but it was always their dad that came. Every morning the two young dragons woke up hoping their mother would be sleeping next to them, but were disappointed to find her still missing. The only thing that kept them going was Serenity reading Wings of Fire, it gave them a chance to escape their troubles.

They were doing just that when a Deadly Nader came into the throne room.

"Your majesty," he said. "I apologize for this interruption but there's a strange ship heading this way, I've never seen a ship like it." The adult dragons and Chris followed the Nader outside and onto the pier. The Nader pointed to the ship that Hiccup and Astrid had spotted earlier. It was heading for the pier.

"That's a Chinese Junk," Chris said. "I wonder what it's doing this far west."

"A Chinese Junk?" Tenor said. "That's an odd thing to call a ship."

"Let's get back inside," Re said. "We'll find out what it wants soon enough." The Nader went off home and the others went inside and closed the ivory doors. They waited on their ledge throne. Serenity and all the children gathered in the corner. Chris mounted Windwalker and all the adult dragons went to the edge of the ledge throne. They waited quietly. Then the ivory doors opened and a Chinese man entered the throne room flanked by two guards. He looked pretty intimidating. He stopped in front of the ledge throne. He pointed at Chris and Windwalker and shouted something in Mandarin. The dragons looked at Chris for translation.

"He wants to talk to me," Chris said. He flew Windwalker down to the floor in front of the visitors. A bit closer Chris and Windwalker recognized the man's uniform.

"You're from the Song Dynasty," Chris said.

"That's right," the man snapped. "But because of you there is no longer a Song Dynasty. All of my friends were killed by those dragons of yours. So I come to take my revenge." He slipped off his right gauntlet and threw it to the ground. Chris dismounted and looked at the gauntlet.

"A challenge?" he said. "What kind of challenge?"

"A duel," the man said. "Tomorrow, you get to choose the place."

"What if I refuse?" Chris said. The man sighed.

"Looks like you need some persuasion," he said with a sneer. He then whistled. Into to the room came at least thirty other men, and they were dragging with them...

"Mom!" Chris exclaimed. The men were dragging Aurora with huge chains. Her wings were still pinned by the Dragon's Teeth bola. It had cut up her wings really bad, but the rest of her was unharmed because she still had her armor on. She was muzzled and blindfolded. She didn't even know she was home. She had shackles on her neck and paws. She struggled to get free, but it was impossible. The men made her trip and tied her down. She moaned in defeat.

"I found this blue dragon flying in the open," the Song soldier continued. "I recognized it as one of yours. I figured I could use it to persuade you to take up my challenge." Chris sighed and exchanged a look with Windwalker.

"Wait here," Chris said. He got back on his dragon and flew onto the ledge throne.

"What was that all about?" Re asked. He had received a real shock when they dragged his mate in.

"He's one of the last remaining Song soldiers," Chris explained. "He's come to challenge Windwalker and myself to take his revenge. If we refuse Mom will most likely be killed." Re sighed and exchanged a glance with Tenor.

"So this is where she's been for three weeks," Re said. "Well if it's the only chance we have to get her back, you might as well." Chris nodded in agreement.

"I figured you'd say that," he said. "The duel will take place tomorrow and we get to choose the place."

"How about our sparring arena," Tenor said. "It's close incase something happens." Chris turned Windwalker around and flew back down to the man. Windwalker picked the gauntlet in her teeth.

"We accept your challenge," Chris said. "We will hold the duel in our sparing arena."

"Excellent," the man said. "I will see you tomorrow." He left the throne room. His men followed, taking Aurora with them. Chris and Windwalker flew back up to the ledge throne. Chris spotted the worried look on his dad's face.

"Don't worry Dad, I can defeat this foe," he said. "Mom is as good as free." Re sighed.

"You should probably get some rest then," he said. "You'll need it." At that moment there came the sound of a Night Fury landing on the pier, followed by the sound of other dragons landing.

"That'll be Hiccup," Tenor said.

"I better go see what he wants," Re said. He spread his wings and flew outside, followed by Tenor.

Latter that night Chris and Serenity were in their room. Edelweiss was already asleep in her crib with Black Widow. Chris and Serenity were lying in bed wide wake.

"Your worried aren't you?" Chris said.

"Yes," Serenity said. "Both about you, and Aurora." Chris ran the back of his fingers gently down her face.

"It'll be okay," he said. "It's just another round in the sparring arena." Serenity sighed.

"You sure?" she asked.

"Yes, this is one Song soldier, not thousands," Chris said. "And I have Windwalker with me, you have nothing to worry about." Serenity sighed again and wormed closer to him.

"I know," she said. "And I know why you're fighting for a good reason. But what if he cheats?"

"Then I get to cheat too," Chris said.

"Okay," Serenity said. She yawned, feeling very tired. Chris kissed her, to ease her worries. She tangled her fingers into his hair, making the kiss last for as long as possible. When it did end Serenity rested her head on his shoulder.

"I love you," she said softly.

"I love you too," Chris answered. They fell asleep, still in each other's embrace.

The next day Chris and Serenity woke up and got out of bed. Edelweiss and Black Widow were still asleep. Chris prepared for his fight. He strapped on his swords and took a deep breath. He then face Serenity, who was still in her blue night dress.

"You should probably stay here," he said. "You'll be much safer."

"But what if something happens?" Serenity asked. "And someone will have to look over the Queen."

"We'll send for you when the duel is over," Chris said, just as Windwalker landed on the balcony.

"It's time Chris," she said.

"Okay," Chris said. "Give me a minuet." He turned back to Serenity. He gently cupped her face in both his hands, and kissed her again. Then she hugged him.

"Good luck," she whispered into his ear. They separated and Chris mounted Windwalker. They took off, heading for the arena. Serenity sat on the bet and wrapped her arms around herself. At that moment Tenor came into the room.

"Tenor! You're staying?" Serenity said, slightly relieved.

"Well yeah," Tenor said. "Someone has to keep you from going mad with worry." Serenity stood up and hugged her dragon.

"Thank you," she said. Tenor purred and nuzzled her shoulder.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Dragon Island arena was on the other side of the island from Serenity and Chris's room. It had been created by a generous Whispering Death. It looked similar to the Dragon Academy on Berk, except it didn't have the bars on top and the floor was made of sand. There was quite a crowd in the spectators area. Re was sitting by himself on a tall rock. The rest of the crowd consisted of the Riders of Berk, their dragons, the crew of the Chinese Junk, and the dragons of Dragon Island. Chris and Windwalker landed in the arena where the Song soldier was waiting. Aurora was in a cage with a fancy, slanted roof. She was still chained, muzzled, and blindfolded. Chris and Windwalker faced their opponent. Chris withdrew is swords and threw the scabbards to the side. The other man withdrew a pair of hooked swords and slashed them about.

"One round," he sneered. "To the death, winner gets the blue dragon." Chris just nodded and took a fighting stance. Windwalker stayed at the back, providing back up. Then without warning the soldier rushed at Chris, who was ready. The air was soon filled with the sound of clanking metal as the four blades hit each other. Chris and the soldier slashed their swords at each other, performing fancy kung foo moves to avoid getting hit. The crowd cheered them on. Spurred on by this encouragement, Chris slashed swords with the other man. He jumped back and linked his two swords at the pommels creating a sword-staff. He spun it rapidly in front of himself, making it much harder for his opponent to land a blow. That didn't stop him however. He thought for a few seconds before coming up with an idea. He pointed his hooked swords downwards and ran at Chris. He thrust the tips of his swords into the ground, launching himself feet first, into Chris's chest. His legs got cut up pretty bad, but the objective was fulfilled. Chris sailed through the air, and hit the far wall really hard. He landed on the sand, in serious pain. Suddenly it hurt to breath. He painfully rolled onto his, closer to his weapon. His opponent was rushing towards him, swords raised for the final blow. But then Windwalker tackled him to the ground. She knocked his swords out of his hands, then began clawing at his face. The man managed to get her off and got to his feet. Windwalker could see her rider on the ground, his face indicated that he was hurt bad and struggling to breathe. Windwalker circled her opponent, snarling. Then when the man's back was facing Chris. Chris grabbed his sword-staff, that was laying nearby, and with one painful thrust, he threw the weapon at the soldier like a spear. It sailed through the air and stabbed the opponent right in the heart. The man turned to face him, his life draining away. With his last bit of strength he went over to Chris, and kicked him in the side of the head as hard as he could. Then the man fell over, dead. The crowd cheered at the victory. Windwalker ran to her rider's side and sniffed him. His breathing was shallow and he was struggling to keep his eyes open.

Chris was in a world of pain. He couldn't breathe and his head throbbed so bad he was loosing consciousness. He didn't know what was going on around him, he didn't see the dragons rushing into the arena to free his mother. Every sound made his head hurt even more. Finally his couldn't keep his eyes open any longer and blacked out.

He started to come round after who knows how long. He could hear voices in his head but could't understand them. He eyelids were too heavy to open. He couldn't move or breathe. Then came a new voice, closer.

"Chris?" it said gently. "Can you hear me?" He tried to open is eyes to see who it was, but his body wouldn't obey him. He moaned in pain every time he tried to breathe.

"Can't. Breathe," he wheezed. "Hurts. Too much."

"Where are hurt?" the voice asked. "Specifically?" Chris lifted his hand and placed it over the area that was hurting. He could open his eyes now. Serenity was kneeling over him, listening to heartbeat with her stethoscope.

"Serenity?" he wheezed.

"Shhhh," Serenity whispered in her honey sweet voice. "You're okay. Try to keep breathing as normal as you can." She put her stethoscope away. Then she used her magic to x-ray his chest, but she did it in such a way that only she could see the x-ray.

"Hmmm," she said. "You seemed to have cracked a few ribs." She peeled his shirt off the spots the x-ray had showed here where the cracks were. She could see several bruises over the spots. She counted four, two on each side.

"When did you get here?" he asked.

"A little while ago," Serenity said, digging through her bag. "You were out for at least ten minuets."

"Where's Mom?" Chris asked, remembering why he had fought.

"She's okay," Serenity said. "She's been freed already. She's not hurt that bad, her armor did it's job." Chris sighed. Serenity pulled out a pottle of gold fluid and a small shot glass.

"What's that?" he asked.

"It's painkillers," Serenity said. "It will help you breathe better. Cracked ribs heal themselves, all that's required is ice, painkillers, and plenty of rest. Do you hurt anywhere else?"

"Not that I can feel," Chris said. Serenity filled the shot glass with the gold fluid. Chris groaned knowing this wasn't going to be pleasant. Serenity helped him sit up, and poured the painkillers into his mouth. He swallowed it with much difficulty, it tasted extremely sour.

"Oh, why can't medicine ever taste good?" he asked.

"I don't know," Serenity said. She then gave him water from her canteen, to wash the taste out of his mouth. She laid him back down and put the remedy away. Chris could feel the painkillers working, he could breathe easier.

"Dose your head hurt?" Serenity asked.

"No why?" Chris asked.

"It's bleeding," Serenity said. Chris reached his hand to his head, and sure enough he could feel something wet. He pulled his hand away, his fingers were red with blood. Serenity reached into her bag again and pulled out a jar of a translucent fluid, along with bandages. Chris could see a drawing of a Night Fury on the side of the jar. Serenity opened the jar and soaked a cloth in the substance. She gently pressed the cloth to Chris's forehead. The substance was cold, and sticky.

"You seem to have to a lot of that stuff," he said.

"It's Night Fury saliva," Serenity said. "It kills infections and reduces swelling, it's my best remedy." She finished cleaning the wound on his head then wrapped his head in the bandages. He was feeling better by the minuet. Serenity finished, then put all her things back into bag.

"You think you can sit up?" she asked. Chris tried to sit up, but his ribs tingled uncomfortably and his head spun. Serenity helped him stay sitting up. Then she slowly and steadily helped him to his feet. He leaned on her. Serenity then leaned him on something else. He looked to see that he was leaning on Windwalker. She looked over her shoulder at him. She and Serenity helped him on to the saddle. He kept himself sitting up with his hands.

"How are you feeling?" Windwalker asked quietly.

"Like I'm about to pass out," Chris said, out of breath. Serenity came back over after retrieving her bag. Chris looked around. His family was gathered around Aurora, who was being cared for by Valka and Astrid. The Queen was sitting up and her muzzle and blindfold had been taken off.

"Is Mom in good hand?" Chris asked weekly.

"Yes," Serenity said. "Valka knows a thing or two about dragon healing. You can relax. Here lay down." She put her arms around his shoulders and laid him down on Windwalker's neck. His head was resting on his coat. She made sure he was secure.

"Be careful," she said to Windwalker. The dragon nodded. She spread her wings and carefully took off. Serenity mounted Tenor and followed.

Aurora sat quietly as Valka stitched up her wings. She felt very happy to be home at last. But she was still worried about her magic.

"Where the hatchlings?" she asked.

"They're down at the tide pools," Re said. "They really missed you, we all did." Aurora sighed.

"I'm really sorry I ran," she said. "I needed time alone so my mind could get over what just happened, and I didn't expect to be gone so long." She sounded really sorry. Re nuzzled her lovingly.

"Don't worry," he said. "I missed you so much I didn't care that you ran, or exposed your secret." Aurora smiled and nuzzled him back.

"You don't need to worry about your magic Aurora," Hiccup said. "You have my word that I won't use it as a weapon." Aurora looked at him with a grateful smile.

"Thank you," she said. "You can tell the rest of your village if you want, but please don't tell anyone else."

"I won't," Hiccup said. Aurora sighed and turned her attention to her wings. Valka was finishing up.

"There you go," Valka said finally. "You should take it easy when you fly."

"Thank you," Aurora said. She slowly stood up and stretched. "I should go get the young ones. I missed them too."

"And we'll see how Chris is doing," Re said. "I trust he got a lot of damage in that fight." Aurora spread her wings and took off. She flew towards the tide pools. She spun and flipped, happy to be free. She used her magic to heal her wings. She then soared over the tide pool and landed nearby. The four young dragons were splashing around trying to steel a crab from Eider. Aurora let out a short bark. Apollo and Avalon paused.

"MAMA!" They cried in unison. They ran to her, water flying everywhere. Aurora lowered her head and nuzzled her hatchlings and they licked her face.

"Oh, we missed you Mommy," Avalon said. "Why did you go away?"

"I'll tell you when you're a bit older," Aurora said. "I don't want to give you bad dreams."

"Oh okay," said Apollo.

"Well, it's time to come in," Aurora said. "It's almost high tide."

"But we're right in the middle of Catch the Crab," said Avalon. But when she turned she saw that Eider had let the crab go.

"Okay," Avalon said, changing her mind. She and Apollo followed their mother back towards Serenity and Chris's room.

They landed on the balcony and entered the room. Tenor, Re, and Windwalker were gathered around the bed. Chris was fast asleep. His shirt was off so Serenity could address the bruises on his chest. Edelweiss was watching from her crib.

"Where are the others?" Aurora asked.

"They went home," Re said. "And the Chinese Junk left already." Aurora turned to her daughter-in-law.

"Is he okay?" she asked.

"He's cracked four ribs," Serenity said. "And he has a concussion. It will be a while before he fully recovers." She finished putting Night Fury saliva on his wounds and put her things away.

"At least he won," Tenor said. "And life goes back to normal." Serenity smiled at the thought. She felt Chris's forehead.

"Well we'll let him rest," Re said. He and the others turned to leave.

"I'm staying here," Windwalker said. "I don't want to leave him." Re looked at Serenity.

"Do you mind?" he asked her.

"No," Serenity said. The dragons left, except for Windwalker. Tenor went to fetch Black Widow. Windwalker went closer to her rider, very worried. She laid her head on the bed near Chris's hand. Serenity stroked her neck.

"He'll be okay," She whispered. "He just needs rest."

"Can I help in any way?" Windwalker asked. Serenity thought for a few moments.

"He will need to be woken up every few hours, so I can give him more painkillers," she said. "And to make sure he's not going into a coma." Windwalker nodded. She gave Chris's hand a small lick. At that moment Tenor returned with Black Widow. Black Widow ran to Edelweiss's crib and jumped into is. Edelweiss squealed in delight and hugged her dragon. Tenor laid down next to the window. Serenity gently gripped Chris's hand, so he knew she was there. Then he opened his eyes.

"Hey," Serenity whispered gently. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright," Chris said. "Is there anymore water?" Serenity picked up her canteen from beside the night stand, opened it, and handed it to him. He drank some then handed it back. Serenity put it on the night stand where he could reach it. Chris then gripped her hands.

"Thank you," he said. Serenity smiled.

"I'm just happy you got through it," she said. She leaned in and kissed him again.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ever since Serenity has shown up at Chris's old mountain-nest, and he found out she was a professional Dragon Healer. He had often wondered what it would be like to be her patient. She had treated his wounds before when they were kids, but it was usually small things like a bruised shoulder. He had heard some of his dragon friends talk about being her patient, and they all said it was paradise. The Berkian dragons all said that they always knew they were going to be okay when she showed up, just by the way she talked to them. Now he got experience what it was like for real. With some help from Windwalker, Serenity made sure he made a full recovery. When he woke up in agonizing pain due to is ribs, she was right there give him painkillers. She also checked his head wound, which was healing nicely. Each night she told him to wake her up if anything went wrong. Luckily nothing went wrong. Windwalker refused to leave the room at all, not even to hunt. Serenity didn't mind, she enjoyed the company. She asked the dragon to keep an eye on Edelweiss, to make sure she didn't fall off the balcony while she played with Black Widow. During the daylight hours whenever Serenity wasn't checking Chris's progress, she sat in her chair on the balcony. She would either read or sew a pattern. The royal dragons made regular trips to Berk. Hiccup had agreed to sign a contract that said he wouldn't use Aurora's magic as a weapon, unless she said it was okay. And to keep it a secret. All the dragons were happy to have their queen back. Lord Draco had forgiven her for both exposing her secret, and for running away. The young dragons were now asking when they could go home and Re kept telling them when Chris was fully recovered.

Serenity was sitting by herself on the balcony. Windwalker was keeping an eye on Chris, Edelweiss was sleeping, and Black Widow was at the tide pools. Serenity was stitching a pattern of a red eastern dragon. At that moment a man came up the staircase that lead to the throne room. Serenity looked up at him. He was clearly from the China, judging by his clothes and weapons. She got to her feet.

"Please, I mean you no harm," the man said, in Mandarin. Serenity used a translating spell so they could understand each other. "My name is Kang-Jie, I helped Chris during the Song-Dragon war." Serenity thought for a moment.

"You were his inside man?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am," said Kang-Jie. "I came on that ship that came here a while ago."

"And you didn't leave with it?" Serenity asked.

"No, I'm not serving the Song anymore," Kang-Jie said. "They killed my family, that's why I helped Chris and his dragons."

"I'm really sorry," Serenity said. "About your family." She put her fist against her other palm and bowed. Kang-Jie returned the gesture.

"I don't think I met you last time," he said, rising again.

"Chris had a few injured dragons that needed my help," Serenity explained.

"And how are you acquainted with him?" Kang-Jie asked.

"I'm his wife," Serenity said. "We were married shortly after the war ended." Kang-Jia looked quite surprised.

"Were you raised by dragons as well?" he asked.

"Yes," Serenity said. At that moment Windwalker came out to see who was talking. When she recognized Kang-Jie, she relaxed a bit. He tuned to her. Windwalker went and stood beside Serenity.

"Can he be trusted?" she asked the dragon in Dragontongue.

"Yes, Chris and I owe him our lives," Windwalker said. At that moment Kang-Jie spotted the pattern Serenity had been working on.

"Did you make that?" he asked.

"Yes," Serenity said, stroking Windwalker behind the ears.

"May I?" he asked. Serenity handed him the pattern. He took it and looked at the shiny red dragon. He ran his fingers over it.

"It's very beautiful," he said finally.

"Thank you," Serenity said.

"My wife loved to sew as well," Kang-Jie said, sadly. He handed the pattern back. Serenity finished the last stitch and clipped the thread. She took the pattern out of the wooden ring that held it straight. She handed it to him again.

"Have it, you probably could use it more," she said. He accepted it.

"Thank you ma'am," he said.

"What do you plan to do now?" Serenity asked.

"That ship will most likely return for me," Kang-Jie said. "And I will go back to my village. I wanted to make sure your husband was doing well." Serenity smiled at him.

"He's doing much better," she said. "I appreciate your concern."

"My family is gone," Kang-Jie said. "My world has ended."

"I thought the same thing when Chris was lost at sea," Serenity said. "I had lost my guardian dragon a few years before that. When I lost Chris to the sea I didn't want to be living anymore. I felt like there was nothing left for me in this life."

"How did you cope?" Kang-Jie asked.

"I had other friends who helped me get over my loss," Serenity said. "And I traveled the world, and made new friends."

"I see," Kang-Jie said.

"Do you have friends in your village?" Serenity asked.

"Yes ma'am," Kang-Jie said. "I have many friends." At that moment Windwalker became alert. She went to the railing of the balcony and looked over. She spotted the Chinese Junk heading their way.

"His ride is here," she said, and Serenity translated for Kang-Jie.

"Ah, I should go down and meet them," Kang-Jie said. "Before they accuse anyone of theft."

"What did you do before all hell broke loose?" Serenity asked.

"I was a farmer," Kang-Jie said.

"Perhaps you could grow a flower garden, or a tree," Serenity said. "You'll feel better when you're caring for something. I found that out when I became a Dragon Healer, it gives you a reason to live." Kang-Jie considered.

"That sounds promising," he said. "I will try that, thank you for your wisdom and for the pattern." He held up the dragon stitching. He and Serenity bowed to each other once more and he left. Serenity stayed where she was and watched him join up with the ship. Windwalker stood beside her. They soon watched the ship sail away.

"That poor man," Serenity said sadly. "It's the worst thing in the world to loose someone you love." Windwalker murmured in agreement.

"I think you helped him out though," she said. Serenity went back inside to check on Chris. While she checked his injuries he woke up.

"Hi," he said hoarsely.

"Hello," Serenity said. "You seem to be improving."

"That's good to know," Chris said. "Who were you talking to just know?"

"It was that man that helped you win the war," Serenity said. "We wanted to know if you were recovering."

"Oh," Chris said, surprised. "I didn't know he was on that ship."

"It's a real shame about his family," Serenity said.

"Yeah, it is," Chris agreed. "But I'm sure he's okay." Serenity sighed. Chris held her hand while she worked, and for that she was grateful.

As the weeks went by Chris started to go back to normal. He was starting to get restless, which Serenity said was a good sign. The dragons helped in any way they could. They either baby sat Edelweiss or kept an eye on Chris while Serenity took care of Edelweiss. And before long the weather began to turn and the Draconians were ready to head for home for the winter, much to the young dragons' delight. Chris woke up one morning feeling much better. Serenity checked him over one last time, to find that he was fully recovered. He got out of bed and joined his family in closing up the Dragon Island Castle for the winter.

When they were ready they gathered on the pier for take off. Serenity put Edelweiss into her special seat then mounted Tenor. Chris got on Windwalker and they flew off. They headed to Berk and landed in the plaza. Hiccup and the riders and dragons were waiting to send them off.

"It's getting pretty cold," Hiccup said.

"Ah, what else is new," Re said.

"See you all next summer?" Hiccup asked.

"Yup," Re said.

"Sorry about butting pressure on you Aurora," Hiccup said.

"That's okay," Aurora said. "I'm just glad it's over. I made a mistake by running away, and Chris had to pay the price. Luckily it wasn't too heavy." She shuffled her wings, ready for the long flight home.

"Well, see you in a year," Hiccup said. The Draconians nodded. The dragons spread their wings and took off. They flew in formation over the North Sea. They turned in the direction of Draconia and flew as fast as they could. Serenity read some more of The Brightest Night. During the flight home she finished the book. She then pulled out Moon Rising and began reading it. Aurora listened to the story with great interest. Moon Rising was about a young NightWing dragonet that had the power to read minds and see the future. Her mother had told her to keep her powers a secret for neither of them knew what the other dragons would do to her if they were found out. The young dragonet had a real problem keeping her secret because she could constantly hear the thoughts of other dragons, and it was difficult to no let on that she'd heard anything. Aurora liked this story, because it sounded like it her own story with her magic. She found the book comforting.

Serenity read it until they reached the shore of Draconia. Ruby, Harmony, and Eider sepearated from the rest of the group and headed for their cave in the small down of Apple Grove. Re led his family over the Golden Gates and over the Lagoon. They soon saw their castle waiting for them as always. They landed in the King and Queen's chamber at the top of the castle. From there they disbursed to their respective rooms, for a long winter's nap as it started to snow outside.


End file.
